Epoch Times Hong Kong Staff

Shanghai human rights lawyer Zheng Enchong (The Epoch Times)

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Renowned human rights lawyer Zheng Enchong told the Epoch Times that the New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) holiday shows are popular in Shanghai; there are even street vendors in Shanghai selling video CDs (VCDs) of the previous years' NTDTV holiday shows.

NTDTV's Holiday Wonders is currently performing at the Beacon Theatre on Broadway in New York City. The following Chinese New Year Spectacular is scheduled to perform in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other US cities before it goes to Asia and Europe.

In an interview on December 23, Mr. Zheng said that there were three changes among Shanghai citizens. One was that citizens' sense of protecting their own rights is stronger, and they have become more mature. More and more people have learned how to use the Internet to communicate with the outside world. More people are studying computers. The second was that in Shanghai more people are converting to religions. The third was that the NTDTV holiday shows are spreading widely in Shanghai.

He recently obtained some VCDs from a friend's child who is now studying at college. Among the discs there were some of NTDTV's holiday shows.

When Zheng attended a religious activity on the 22nd, he saw some street vendors selling pirated VCDs near a church in the center of Shanghai. The VCDs of NTDTV holiday shows were being sold at 15 RMB (US$2).

According to Zheng, many Shanghai citizens, including college students, are watching and spreading the NTDTV holiday shows.

Happy to See Guan Guimin in the Show

Zheng has also watched the discs on the NTDTV holiday shows. He said that it contained high artistic achievements; he especially pointed out that he was surprised to see the renowned tenor Guan Guimin appear in the program.

Zheng said that Guan was a very famous singer in Mainland China. The Chinese are very familiar with him. Zheng himself likes Guan a lot and still remembers a lot about his past performances in China. "Since I haven't seen him for a long time, I thought he had retired." Zheng said, "It took me by surprise when I saw him on the NTDTV holiday show. He is now practicing Falun Gong as well. He sings very well."

Zheng also shared his opinion about the Chinese consulates in New York and Houston sending letters to a New York state assemblyman and mayor in Florida respectively, asking them not to support the shows, using "U.S.-China relations" pressure. Zheng thinks that the Chinese consulate staff have done a very stupid thing, which may only result in damaging U.S.-China relations.